San Antonio @ Chicago preview
United Center
Last Meeting ( Dec 5, 2024 ) Chicago 139, San Antonio 124
Saturday's ceremony honoring former MVP guard Derrick Rose admittedly inspired the host Chicago Bulls, who rode a third-quarter surge to rally past the New York Knicks.
"That meant a lot to us to win for him," Chicago's Coby White said. "He's a local legend; he's a legend in general. ... We wanted to win for him, for sure."
With the pomp and circumstance over and Rose's jersey not set for retirement until next season, the Bulls will look for motivation in other places when the San Antonio Spurs visit Monday night.
Perhaps the thought of stopping -- not saluting -- a player clad in jersey No. 1 will do the trick. San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama, the top overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, comes to town in good spirits after posting a double-double of 20 points and 23 rebounds on Saturday, his 21st birthday.
"It feels good for sure to have everybody being kind, from the chef who saw me coming in and saying ‘Happy birthday,' to the fans singing a little bit during warmups," Wembanyama said. "Everybody is in a good mood, so it makes me in a good mood."
Still, the vibe arguably would have improved had the Spurs prevailed against the visiting Denver Nuggets, who outscored San Antonio 14-3 in overtime to secure a 122-111 win.
Wembanyama didn't add to his scoring or rebounding totals in the extra session.
"I should have done a better job of being more assertive and catching the ball," he said.
If it's any consolation, San Antonio showed collective tediousness on offense in the fourth quarter and OT, when the Nuggets boasted a combined 41-19 scoring advantage.
Acting Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said he "felt like we got a little stagnant in mud." To Chris Paul, one way to fix that going forward is to work toward building a rhythm at both ends of the floor, especially in crunch time.
"You got to be able to score, get a stop, score again, get a stop, and that's game over," Paul said.
Chicago seemingly couldn't stop scoring after halftime against the Knicks. The Bulls seized control with a 41-17 advantage in third quarter of their 139-126 victory to match a season high in points set Dec. 5 during a 139-124 win at San Antonio.
White was torrid from 3-point range, connecting on a career-best nine on 11 attempts. He matched Zach LaVine with 33 points.
With Ayo Dosunmu (calf) and Torrey Craig (lower leg) still injured, Bulls coach Billy Donovan has praised how the team's veterans, led by LaVine, have helped keep the team afloat.
"I really, really appreciate the way (Zach) is playing," Donovan said. "He's really doing a terrific job of balancing himself and his teammates.
"One of the most underrated things about Zach's game is in his unselfishness. He tries to help (Nikola Vucevic), he tries to get guys shots, he advances it on the break when he sees guys open. He really is an unselfish player and he's playing offensively all the way round. He's getting to the rim, he's shooting 3s and he's passing."
Chicago has won five straight against San Antonio.
--Field Level Media